WORCESTER 
A face mask, heavy gloves and a warm winter hat on, Worcester Police Officer Ken Carville was as prepared as he could be for the bitter cold wind blasting down Main Street where he was directing traffic.

“It's cold,” he said, as he directed cars around a Charter Communications repair crew. He said his outer layers were only half of his preparations for sub-zero wind chills.

“I'm all Under Armour,” he said. “I spend about $150 on underclothes, but it's worth it.”

The two workers were also dressed to beat the cold, but one made a pleasant discovery when he climbed down into a manhole.

“It's like 70 degrees down here,” he yelled up to his co-worker.

Coming off several days last week and the weekend when temperatures rose well into the 40s, the cold Wednesday seemed paralyzing. It may have been cold, but temperatures were a long way from setting any record.

“It's not even close,” said Bill Simpson of the National Weather Service Taunton office. “It's been a while since we've had this weather, but it's not unusual.”

Temperatures first thing Wednesday morning were below zero in some parts of northern Worcester County, but Mr. Simpson said the record lows for Wednesday, today and Friday in Worcester were -13 degrees Fahrenheit in 1976, -14 degrees Fahrenheit in 1948 and -11 degrees Fahrenheit in 1935 respectively. The wind Wednesday, with gusts up to 30-miles per hour, made the temperatures seem much worse. The National Weather Service issued a windchill advisory for communities in Central Massachusetts with some communities expecting to experience sub-zero temperatures with wind chill as low as -17 degrees Fahrenheit. A windchill advisory is issued when the windchill index is expected to reach -15 to -24 degrees for at least three hours. With a wind chill of -20 degrees, frostbite can develop in just 30 minutes of exposure.

It's expected to stay cold for a while. Mr. Simpson said temperatures should not rise above freezing until sometime Monday afternoon. After Monday the weather should warm up some, but Mr. Simpson said it will not last. He said the warm weather will continue much of next week, but the following week the cold should return.

There may also be some precipitation on the horizon. A storm heading across the country may drop several inches of snow Friday night to add to people's misery.

During the day Wednesday the temperature in downtown Worcester never got above 15 degrees Fahrenheit. People rushed up and down Main Street, some wearing masks to ward off the cold. The wind blasting down Main Street made it feel at times like it was well below zero.

Matthew LaBaire was close to his limit washing windows outside at the Worcester County Sheriff's Department civil process office on Main Street.

“My hands are frozen,” he said. “Right now I can't feel them.”

Mr. LaBaire works for Stephen's Window Service. He said the cold was making it difficult to wash the windows but it was the only day he could do the job. He was wearing gloves but his hands were saturated. Mr. LaBaire said he uses windshield washing fluid to clean windows in the cold but with wind chill temperature as low as -8, he had to wipe off the window quickly to prevent ice from forming.

Joseph Petro said he had to be out in the cold, too, but it was out of consideration for a family member. Dressed from head to toe in cold weather gear, he was briskly walking his chocolate Labrador retriever Gwen. The dog was sensibly dressed in a pink sweater. Mr. Petro said cold weather or warm weather he needed to be out giving Gwen her exercise.

Not everyone got the cold weather memo. Stephanie Angelini of Lunenburg was walking as fast as she could down from Main Street toward M.L. King Jr. Boulevard, regretting that she did not dress warmer.

“I'm freezing,” she said, adding that she now realized that wearing a light jacket and thin shirt she was under-dressed for the day. “It's really cold.”

Dress warmly was the advice from the National Weather Service, which capped off its windchill advisory by recommending people dress in layers and wear a hat and gloves if they are heading outside.

The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency also issued recommendations, including that people should wear several layers of loose-fitting, lightweight clothing, rather than a single layer of heavy clothing. It is recommended outer garments be tightly woven. The MEMA advisory also suggested people cover their mouth with a scarf to protect their lungs.

Excessive exposure can lead to frostbite, which is damaging to body tissue that is frozen, according to the MEMA advisory. Frostbite causes a loss of feeling and a pale appearance in extremities, such as fingers, toes, ear lobes or the tip of the nose. If symptoms are detected, medical help should be sought immediately.

Temperatures are also cold enough to freeze water pipes and people should consider letting water drip from a faucet if pipes are prone to freezing.